Marijuana, if legal, should be sold at pharmacies, more than two-thirds of Americans say

NEW YORK — While more than half of Americans don’t agree with legalizing the sale and possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, most also say that if legal, it should be sold at pharmacies, according to a new survey.

The survey, conducted for financial media company TheStreet by GfK, found that 53% of Americans oppose legalization, while 69% say that assuming it’s legal, it should be sold at pharmacies. Meanwhile, 60% say it should be sold at specialty stores. Minorities of respondents — 39%, 17% and 13% — say it should be sold in liquor stores, coffee shops and supermarkets, respectively. Broken down by sex, 73% of men would approve of marijuana sales at pharmacies, compared with 62% of women. The survey included 1,011 interviews.

While marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, its use for medical reasons has been legalized in several states, and its recreational use was legalized in Washington and Colorado last year in voter initiatives; those laws are set to take effect on Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, legislation that would allow medical marijuana sales at pharmacies in Michigan has passed both houses of the state’s legislature and is now awaiting Republican Gov. Rick Snyder’s signature.

"We are just starting to see what our country with legalized marijuana will look like, so it’s no surprise that opinions are widely varied when it comes to its sale and distribution," TheStreet analyst Debra Borchardt said. "TheStreet’s survey gauged people’s comfort with hypothetical situations — pot in a supermarket, people under 18 [years] being able to purchase it — and the results showed some big differences between men and women, which surprised us."

A large majority, 80%, support marijuana being regulated as alcohol, while 50% say sales should be limited to people ages 21 years and older. Twenty percent support 18 years as a minimum age to buy marijuana, while 15% say the minimum age should be 30 years, and 7% say there should be no age limit.

Sears Holdings appoints Cesar Alvarez to board of directors

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings has elected law firm executive Cesar Alvarez to its board of directors, the company, which owns the Sears and Kmart chains, announced.

Alvarez is co-chairman of the international law firm Greenburg Traurig, which he joined in 1973. Before his appointment as chairman, he served as executive chairman for more than three years and as its CEO for 13 years, starting in 1997.

"I am delighted that Cesar is joining our board," Sears Holdings chairman and CEO Eddie Lampert said. "His expertise in advising large organizations, working on complex matters and diverse corporate board experience make him ideally suited to join our board as we continue our transformation to a member-centic company through integrated retail and Shop Your Way."

Target says about 40 million credit, debit cards were hacked

MINNEAPOLIS — About 40 million credit and debit card accounts of Target customers were compromised between late November and the middle of this month, the mass merchandise retailer said Thursday.

Target confirmed earlier reports from the online security blog Krebs on Security that the company experienced a breach affecting nearly all of its stores. The breach was initially thought to have started the day before Thanksgiving and ended on Dec. 6, but investigators later found that it had lasted until Sunday.

Target said Thursday that the problem had been identified and resolved.

"Target’s first priority is preserving the trust of our guests, and we have moved swiftly to address this issue so guests can shop with confidence," Target chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel said. "We regret any inconvenience this may cause. We take this matter very seriously and are working with law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice."

Pulitzer Prize-winner Peggy Noonan, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and singer Diana Ross now feature on the schedule for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Annual Meeting, slated for April 21-24 in Palm Beach, Fla.

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